formation of uk

• Physical processes


  1. Coral formation

  2. Sedimentation of carboniferous limestone and other sedimentary rocks

  3. Erosion of rock

  4. Weathering of rock

  5. Formation of sedimentary rocks in lowland areas

  6. Volcanic eruptions creating igneous rock

  7. Glaciation creating sedimentary deposits
• Recent processes include active volcanoes erupting and casting lava, creating igneous rock
• The top layer of the Earth's crust was formed during the last ice age
• UK rock types


  • Sedimentary
  • Igneous
  • Metamorphic
• Chalk


  • Soft and permeable
  • Forms cliffs on coastline
  • Only found in lowland areas
• Clay


  • Weak and impermeable
  • Forms rounded, comedy-shaped valleys
• Granite is hard and resistant to erosion but susceptible to chemical weathering
• Granite is impermeable, leading to poorly drained granite landscapes
• Tors


  • Feature of some granite landscapes
• Metamorphic rocks


  • Very strong and resistant to erosion and weathering
• Slate is formed from clay and is very resistant
• Schist rocks are formed from shale and are easily weathered
• Younger sedimentary rocks are found in the south-east of the UK, while older metamorphic and igneous rocks are found in the north-east
• Weathering processes in upland areas

  1. Abrasion

  2. Freeze-thaw

  3. Leads to formation of scree slopes
• Glacial processes


  1. Glacier moves down narrow v-shaped valleys

  2. Glacier erodes and shapes the landscape
• Biological and chemical weathering are more common in lowland areas
• Soil creeps downhill under the influence of gravity in lowland areas
• Agriculture


  • Arable farming on good quality soil in eastern England
  • Sheep farming in upland areas
• Agricultural activities


  Change the landscape through field boundaries
• Forestry


  • Little natural woodland
  • Coniferous plantations look unnatural
  • Landscape left bare when trees are cut
• Settlement


  • Rivers diverted and/or straightened
  • Land concreted over for roads and buildings
  • Affects drainage patterns with more surface runoff
• Most of the UK's biggest cities are ports and industrial areas, resulting in more urban than natural landscapes